College Square East, Belfast, BT1 6DL
Grammar · Boys · Voluntary · SEAG member
- Pupils
- 1,073
- Year 8
- 158
- Council
- Belfast
Your chances
against these criteria.
How it chooses when it has more applicants than places, in order:
- Boys are placed in SEAG Bands 1 to 6 and admitted in band order, for 150 places.
- Special cases: Board assesses an estimated SAS from alternative evidence and places the boy in the matching band.
- Within a band, an applicant who is a pupil of Inchmarlo (the school's own preparatory department).
- Within a band, an applicant who has or has had a sibling attending the Main School.
- Within a band, an applicant who is the only or eldest boy of his family.
- Within a band, computerised random selection as the final tie-breaker.
Getting in
12 of the 106 children who put it first were not offered a place in 2026/27.
Places depend mostly on the SEAG score, so how many apply says little on its own.
For September 2026 entry: the lowest band admitted was Band 5. source
For September 2026 entry, 184 applications were considered for 150 places. Places ran out at criterion 3.4: Computerised random selection filled the remaining places among applicants in Band 5. EA statement
Applications per place (all preferences): 1.3 in 2024/25, 1.3 in 2025/26, 1.2 in 2026/27.
Results for its intake
Expected about 98%, got 98.7% (5+ GCSEs A* to C with English and maths, 2024/25).
Who applied
| Year | Places | Put it 1st | 2nd | 3rd or later | Admitted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 150 | 98 | 45 | 49 | 150 |
| 2025/26 | 150 | 123 | 43 | 35 | 150 |
| 2026/27 | 150 | 106 | 29 | 47 | 150 |
In 2026/27, 94 of the 106 children who put it first got a place here.
Each child counts once, at the preference their family gave this school. Figures at the end of the admissions procedure, from the Education Authority's analysis of preferences.
Pupils (October 2025)
- Free school meals
- 6.1%
- Special educational needs
- 50 pupils (26 with a statement)
- Has Years 13 and 14
- Yes
- Area
- Urban
Religious background of pupilsProtestant 49.7%, Catholic 14.8%, other or none 35.5%
Exam results (2024/25)
- 5+ GCSEs A* to C, with English and maths
- 98.7%
- 5+ GCSEs A* to C
- 99.4%
- 3+ A-levels A* to C
- 76.3%
- 2+ A-levels A* to E
- 100%
- Year 12 pupils counted
- 156
- A-level pupils counted
- 118
Source: Department of Education, SAER 2024/25, Open Government Licence.
Admissions
From the school's admissions criteria for September 2026.
Year 8 places: 150 (whole school: 1,050)
| Year | Places | Applications (all preferences) | Admitted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023/24 | 150 | 187 | 150 |
| 2024/25 | 150 | 196 | 150 |
| 2025/26 | 150 | 211 | 160 |
Applications count every family that named the school at any preference, not only first preferences.
School's note: *The Total Admissions for year 2025-2026 includes all Year 8 children admitted to the school including those who have a statement of special educational needs; and also includes additional places (Appeals Process).
Uses transfer test results in its admissions criteria. SEAG Entrance Assessment result to be uploaded with Transfer Application (from search snippet of the document).
Open event: Saturday 10 January 2026 and Thursday 29 January 2026 (tours only), per search snippet.
Sources
- DE school census 2025/26
- Department of Education, SAER 2024/25
- EA analysis of preferences
- School admissions criteria, checked 16 October 2026
- SEAG member schools list, checked 15 October 2026
- School admissions criteria, checked 16 October 2026
- School website, checked 16 October 2026
- OpenStreetMap (school address)
- ETI, checked 15 October 2026
DENI reference 1420027